A Host Fanfic
by StayTogetherForTheKids
Summary: It's 3 years since the events of the novel, The Host. While out on a raid, Wanda, Jamie, Jared & Mel come across a human girl unconscious on a pavement. I'm rubbish at summaries so please just read & review!
1. Prologue

The branch Dakota was desperately clinging to was dipping ever closer to the ground. She tried to climb further up the tall oak tree but she was terrified of heights and was starting to feel nauseous.  
Her head was spinning and she was fading. She tried to fight it off, there was no way she could fall.  
If she fell, she would crack her head off the pavement and most probably fall into unconsciousness. Someone would surely see her and hand her over to the parasites.  
"Gosh, I wish I knew where the hell I was," she cried to herself, near hysterics.  
Dakota steadied herself and reached for a branch high above her head. She grabbed onto it, jumped, wrapped her legs around it and pulled the rest of her body up.  
Then Dakota made the mistake of looking down.  
She was so high up. She fainted and fell, scratching her arms on numerous branches on the way down and, like she expected, whacked her head off the concrete with a loud 'thud.'  
Somewhere in the distance a dog howled at the blue corn moon.  
*****

A few hours later, just as the sun was coming up and just before the postman stepped out to do his round, a grubby white van was driving up Oakland Avenue.  
"Wanda, give me the map you're going the wrong way."  
"I know where I'm going Jared, get back someone could see you."  
"Guys shut up Jamie's trying to sleep."  
" Naw it's okay Mel, I'm awake now."  
Wanda turned right, past a few houses and went straight ahead, trying to find their way out of this housing estate.  
She was raiding in Seattle with Melanie, Jared, Jamie, Brandt & Aaron. Brandt & Aaron were in the truck on their way back to the desert. Wanda had gotten careless in her excitement at finally going home and got lost.  
They'd been away for 3 months now and were anxious to get home. She hated leaving Ian and Jeremy, but the majority needed her, so here she was; lost. Jamie climbed over to the front seat beside Wanda.  
"Jamie get back what if someone sees you!" Wanda protested.  
"Oh Wanda calm down. Hey what's that up there?" he said pointing out the window.  
Jared and Melanie leaned over to look.  
"Is that...a person?" Wanda asked, squinting.  
She drove further on and stopped at the pavement where a young girl was lying unconscious.  
"Is she a para- a soul?" Jared asked.  
"Only one way to find out," said Wanda, unbuckling her seatbelt.  
"Be careful Wanda" Melanie warned.  
Wanda stepped lightly out of the van, the sun catching on her gentle curls. She knelt down beside the girl and touched her sun-kissed face. She pulled up her left eyelid and stared into her brilliant blue eyes. "She's human." Wanda mouthed to the group in the van.  
All three pairs of eyes widened simultaneously.  
Jared and Melanie gingerly got out of the van to help Wanda carry the girl to the back of the van while Jamie watched, transfixed.  
Wanda quickly started the engine and the five of them set out on the long drive home.  



	2. Cornered

Oh. My. God. Where am I? Typical me; lost.  
There are houses everywhere I turn. I don't even remember which way I came. It's really dark out, I'd say it's near midnight. My stomach rumbles, I haven't eaten in days. At least it feels like days. I've been on the run from these parasites for years, time means nothing to me anymore.  
I should look for an empty house for food and water and maybe a possible rest.  
*****

I've been observing this two storey, semi-detached house for about an hour now. There is no car in the driveway. The curtains are wide open and no lights are on. The owners must be away for the night.  
How will I break in?  
I try the door first of all, long shot I know, but it opens straight away.  
Stupid trusting parasites, I smile to myself.  
First destination: kitchen.  
I scour the presses first for non-perishables to put in my rucksack. Granola bars, cookies, potato chips, I throw a tin of beans in there for good measure. Next stop sink. I fill my canteen up to the brim with lovely cool water, I stick my head under the tap and get a good gulp. Now the fridge. Leftover spaghetti bolognese; lovely.  
I eat the spaghetti as fast as I can and throw some apples into my bag. If I ration properly this food should last me a week.  
I walk down the hall from the kitchen to the living room. It's very neat with a lot of photos hanging all over the place. I take a closer look.  
Above the television is a framed picture of a man and a woman with a boy of about 14. They are sitting down together and are looking at the camera with 3 big cheesy smiles. I look into their eyes; Souls, of course. What was I expecting?  
I sit down on the big leather couch by the window and rest for a few minutes. My bones ache and crack. I can't even remember the last time I just relaxed like this. I close my eyes and sit still for 10 minutes. I decide to leave and go back into the kitchen to try stuff more food into my rucksack before I go. My eyes sweep around the kitchen and I notice something on the kitchen table. A note, it read:  
Fires Burning The Stars Above,  
Shredding Through The Leaves Of Doubt and I have gone out for dinner and a movie. There's a pizza in the freezer if you're hungry. Don't expect us back until midnight.  
Love, Glass Spires.

As I finish the last sentence, my eyes dart the clock above the sink. 00:06. "Oh crap." I say.  
There's a parasite in the house, and two that could be back any minute. I have to get out quick.  
Just then I hear a car pull into the driveway. And faint footsteps upstairs.  
"Oh crap" I say again.  
I spot the door to the backyard just as I hear the front door opening. I have no time to get my rucksack, I run. I take in my outside surroundings, there are two sheds, flower baskets hanging everywhere, and a wall about as tall as me. I'm not really that tall, but I'm terrified of heights. This night couldn't get worse.  
Oh wait, it can.  
I hear a male voice yell "What the hell?" No time to think. I jump, my hands find a flower basket and I pull myself up the wall. I fall down the other side of the wall and run. I hear voices behind me, but they are getting fainter and fainter.  
I run as fast as my legs will carry me, suddenly I stop, with the biggest stitch in my side. I can hardly breathe let alone run anymore. I am standing beside trees so I decide to climb one of them. For a minute my fear of heights comes back and I can't do it, but then the voices catch up with me and I realise I have no choice.  
So I climb, very ungracefully but I do it just in time. I'm sitting on a very feeble branch but I don't dare move.  
After a few minutes, I hear the parasites talking clearly.  
"That person was human did you see that? Where did she go?" said a male voice " I have no idea we'll have to call a seeker. I thought this was a safe neighborhood!" a female voice remarked.  
"We'll have another search around here and call the seeker in the morning if we don't find that human. Unbelievable..." the voices faded away.  
And now I'm stuck up here for god knows how long. 


	3. Rescued

I hear a sweet humming that sounds like my mother. I've just had the worst nightmare. I dreamed that all of humanity had succumbed to the invasion of a species that took over everyone's minds, but while still inhabiting their bodies. Both my parents and maybe even my brother have fallen to these parasites.

But it was just a dream, thank god. Although I'm awake, I don't open my eyes. I want to savour this moment of pure comfort and relief, a feeling usually taken for granted by most people. The humming stops, and a high-pitched voice says "Nearly home guys!" Then there are cheers from numerous people.

I frown and my eyes shoot open. This isn't my bedroom. I'm in what seems to be a van, on a little make-shift bed surrounded by boxes. I look quickly around me and cry "Oh crap!" when I see that I'm not alone. There are three people in the back of the van with me, and another person, a girl, driving.

A young boy, about the same age as me jumps up. The two other people are sleeping side-by-side and he shakes them abruptly.

"Mel! Jared! She's awake!" he says. He walks towards me and for each step forward he takes, I take another backward, until my back hits off a pile of boxes.

I look around me quickly, cardboard boxes are blocking off the doors at the side of the van and escape is hopeless. "You won't take me alive you filthy parasites!" I shout and swiftly reach into the front pocket of my rucksack and pull out the penknife my father gave me shortly before he was taken.

This all happens in about five seconds, but the boy, along with the other two people, Mel and Jared, apparently, who both jumped up and joined him, grab the knife from my hand just as I am about to raise it to my throat and push me dow, knocking over some of the smaller boxes. I grunt and try to get back up, but the woman, Mel, clasps my arms and says "Calm down! We're not what you think we are!"

She then pulls my face close to hers, looking me dead in the eye, so I can see that she is telling the truth. And she is. I demand to check the others' and get the same result. I sit down in utter shock. "How...how can this be?" I ask. "I thought I was the only one left..."

"You have no idea how wrong you are," the boy smirks. He sits down beside me and gestures for the other two to do the same. The woman does. But the man - Jared, was it?- goes to the front and whispers something in the driver's ear. I look over and see the back of the driver's head of golden hair nodding to whatever the man was saying. I never got to see her eyes, but I could safely bet that she is human too.

I look back at the two people, the two humans sitting with me. They are looking at me with both worry and excitement etched on their faces.

I can't think of anything to say, what CAN I say? I'm far too shocked to even think properly.

The woman finally speaks.

"Well then- hi! I'm Melanie, what's your name?" I blink are her as if she's just asked me what the Theory of Relativity means.

I finally open my mouth. "Da...Dakota. My name's Dakota."

"That's a pretty name, Dakota. This here is my brother, Jamie," she said, gesturing to the boy beside me, who suddenly looked shy. "And those two in the front are Jared and Wanda."  
I look over at them again. Jared is now sitting in the passenger seat and they are deep in conversation.

I nod, and then reach into my rucksack for my canteen, and take a long gulp of water. I use the time drinking as a way to think about what I'm going to say next. I take a deep breath. "Em...I'm sorry I don't know what to say..." I leave the sentence hanging in the air, shrugging. Melanie smiles, an understanding expression on her pretty face. "I know what you mean, it's a lot to take in, isn't it?" I nod and attempt a smile, but I just can't. It's too much. I look at the boy, Jamie, I've noticed has been watching me nonstop for the past ten minutes. I catch his eye and he blushes, looking down.

"How?" I ask Melanie.

"How we all survived the invasion for so long?" she says.

"Yes."

"Well, it's a pretty long story. But I'll try my best!" Melanie says, before launching into the story of her past seven years. She told me of her parents and how she lost them; of her years of struggle with Jamie; of her meeting Jared one night; and of her uncle, Jeb's underground caves that house around thirty humans.

"Thirty?" I exclaim.  
"More or less," Melanie laughs. She then tells me of two more groups of humans living in different parts of the country, consisting of less people, with around ten in one group, and fifteen in another. This floors me. It makes me feel something I haven't felt in years, something I never thought I could feel again: hope.

Tears spring to my eyes, "So...I'm going with you to your caves?" I ask. "Of course," Melanie says, "We couldn't leave you here out in the open!"

"Are you sure it's safe?" I say. "It's the safest place on earth." Melanie reassures me. And she hands me a tissue so I can wipe away my tears.

"Thank you. So much." I sigh happily. It seems to good to be true, I'll finally have a place to rest; to not feel fear for a while, maybe ever again? I only hope.

We make the long journey from Seattle to Melanie's Uncle Jeb's haven. I sleep most of the way and dream, for the first time in years. 


End file.
